Podcasts

On the Feast of the Three Hierarchs Tuesday, January 30, 2017, St. Vladimir's Seminary hosted a marvelous evening program featuring the 35th Annual Father Alexander Schmemann Lecture. Seminary alumnus Dr. Scott Kenworthy presented the Schmemann Lecture, entitled, “St. Tikhon of Moscow (1865–1925) and the Orthodox Church in North America and Revolutionary Russia.” Dr. Kenworthy described St. Tikhon’s pastoral responsibilities both in North America and Russia, and noted how 21st-century Orthodox Christians could benefit from the well-documented spiritual struggles and challenges that the saint experienced.

Dr. Kenworthy is Associate Professor of Comparative Religion and Russian, Eurasian and East European Studies at Miami University (Oxford, OH). He is currently writing a new, comprehensive biography of St. Tikhon.

During Missions Weekend 2017, held at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary October 20–21, Metropolitan Ambrosios (Zographos) of the Orthodox Metropolis of Korea, laid a patristic foundation for missionary work by Orthodox Christians, using 16 principles from the writings of St. John Chrysostom. His fascinating and uplifting talk was titled, “St. John Chrysostom’s Constitution for Christian Witness: Universal Principles and Their Relevance for Korean Orthodox Identity.”

Dr. Christine Chaillot speaks about the relations between the Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches. She gave her talk on Orthodox Education Day, held at St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, Saturday, October 7, 2017. Referring to her latest work, The Dialogue between Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Churches, Dr. Chaillot explains the initial dispute that split the two church bodies in the 5th century following the Council of Chalcedon, and she also informs us about contemporary ongoing official dialogue and current increased rapprochement between the two faith communities.

St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary held its annual open house, Orthodox Education Day, Saturday, October 7, 2017. This year’s timely theme was “Modern Martyrs: Christians of the Middle East and North Africa.” In his keynote address titled, “Dying, and Behold, We Live: Martyrdom in the New Testament,” biblical scholar the Reverend Dr. George Parsenios, Associate Professor of New Testament, Princeton Theological Seminary, and Sessional Professor of New Testament at St. Vladimir’s, focused on the writings of St. Paul and the Gospel of Saint John, texts that indicate how suffering is connected to assimilation to Christ and being “in Christ.” Father George emphasized how the actions of both ancient and modern martyrs continue to teach us that “the meaning of life is death,” and “that if you want to live the Resurrection, the only path is to carry the Cross.”

Dr. Alice-Mary Talbot presented the 4​th annual Father John Meyendorff Memorial Lectu​re at St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary on Friday, September 15​, 2017.​ ​Her presentation, titled, Varieties of Monastic Experience in Byzantium, 800–1453, opened a window into Byzantine monasticism that revealed a culture as rich and diverse as the personalities of the monks and nuns who embraced it.​ She highlighted the many ways one could be a Byzantine monk or nun, and the continuous tensions in Byzantium between the eremitic (solitary living) and coenobitic (community living) forms of monasticism.

St. Vladimir's Seminary's 75th Commencement, held May 20, 2017, included several distinguishing moments: granting degrees to 16 graduates in three academic programs; remarks to graduates by His Beatitude the Most Blessed Tikhon, of the Orthodox Church in America; the commencement address by His Grace the Right Reverend John of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America; the appointment of Archpriest John Behr to the newly established “Father Georges Florovsky Distinguished Professorship of Patristics"; and the bestowal of the St. Macrina Award upon Archpriest Chad Hatfield, Seminary President.

On February 27–28, 2017, Priest David Mezynski, associate dean for Student Affairs at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, presented four lenten reflections during the two days of intensive liturgical services that annually mark the beginning of Great Lent for the seminary community. Using a story-telling format and employing a variety of sayings from the desert monastics, Father David focused on the theme of gratitude as the fruit of repentance, and especially pinpointed two main obstacles to true repentance: 1) feeling no awareness of sin, with a consequent refusal to change; and 2) possessing a despairing attitude, with a consequent inability to receive forgiveness.

On February 27–28, 2017, Priest David Mezynski, associate dean for Student Affairs at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, presented four lenten reflections during the two days of intensive liturgical services that annually mark the beginning of Great Lent for the seminary community. Using a story-telling format and employing a variety of sayings from the desert monastics, Father David focused on the theme of gratitude as the fruit of repentance, and especially pinpointed two main obstacles to true repentance: 1) feeling no awareness of sin, with a consequent refusal to change; and 2) possessing a despairing attitude, with a consequent inability to receive forgiveness.

On February 27–28, 2017, Priest David Mezynski, associate dean for Student Affairs at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, presented four lenten reflections during the two days of intensive liturgical services that annually mark the beginning of Great Lent for the seminary community. Using a story-telling format and employing a variety of sayings from the desert monastics, Father David focused on the theme of gratitude as the fruit of repentance, and especially pinpointed two main obstacles to true repentance: 1) feeling no awareness of sin, with a consequent refusal to change; and 2) possessing a despairing attitude, with a consequent inability to receive forgiveness.

On Sunday, March 5, 2017, Archpriest Chad Hatfield, president of St. Vladimir’s Seminary, was guest homilist during the Great Vespers service celebrating the Sunday of Orthodoxy, at Holy Ghost Russian Orthodox Church, Bridgeport, Connecticut—whose rector is Archpriest Steven J. Belonick, seminary alumnus (M.Div. ’77). The parish hosted the event, which was sponsored by the New England Clergy Association.